I hope all of you had an enjoyable Fourth of July. It's also the weekend now too! Make it a great one. In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the blockbuster trade the Athletics and Cubs pulled off, C.C. Sabathia receiving more bad news on the injury front, when Bartolo Colon could get traded, and more.

Happy Fourth of July! I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday. Also, a big thank you to all of the men and women serving this country and protecting our freedoms on a daily basis! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on a new deal for the Athletics improving their stadium, a member of the Indians front office turns down a job interview, the MLBPA investigating agents, and more.

It had been mid-June since the Indians last scored a series win. It took another late game rally, but they scored three times in the 8th inning to come back and take the win against the Dodgers. The IBI's Michael Goodman provides his second thoughts on why this was an impressive win for the Indians and more...

For years Justin Verlander has been the “ace,” of the Detroit Tigers and one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, however it has been a struggle for the former Cy Young the last two years. He got core muscle surgery in January and has not been the same ever since. In 17 starts this season Verlander is 6-7 with a 4.80 ERA and only 85 strikeouts. This would be his 3rd worse ERA of his career.

It may be time to let Masterson rest his ailing knee with a DL stint. In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andy Nichols will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on Tampa Bay's thinking after a recent hot streak, Mickey Callaway speaking about Danny Salazar, and more.

Now that it is July, the trade rumor mill is heating up. There are a lot of names on the block and the Indians in spite of being a sub .500 team appear to be buyers and not sellers. They are scouting pitching and there have been many reports of scouts at the Indians minor league games scouting players. This of course has led to all kinds of speculation who the Indians might target and who is the best fit. The IBI's Jeff Ellis takes a look at two players that fit the Indians needs and would be realistic trade possibilities.

The past three games the Indians have played, three one-hit games have occurred. Josh Tomlin's dominating performance was followed by the Cleveland offense subdued by Felix Hernandez on Sunday in Seattle and, on Monday, by Dan Haren and the Dodgers. The IBI's John Grimm notes that Corey Kluber's excellent performance was, in this sense, a tough loss that nevertheless narrowed Kluber's ERA-FIP gap and made brief note of the unusual strike zone of Angel Hernandez.

Happy first of July! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the massive information breach the Astros experienced, the Cardinals in search for a second or third baseman, another All-Star balloting update, and more.

This game was officially the halfway point in the season. The Indians now stand at 39-42, 6.5 games back in the division and 4.5 games back for the second Wild Card spot. The IBI's Michael Goodman provides his second thoughts on the game and also looks at key areas of the team that need to step up in the second half.

Sunday's game marked the official halfway point for the Indians' season. In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andy Nichols will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's pieces focuses on trade plans for the Yankees, Boston still hoping to extend Jon Lester, and more.

Saturday's west-coast game in Seattle saw Cleveland tie up the series with a 5-0 victory. Powered on offense by three doubles and one home run, the story of the night was Josh Tomlin, who threw an incredible no-walk, one-hit, eleven-strikeout complete game shutout. The IBI's John Grimm breaks down Tomlin's success within the context of his both his career history and its lack of parallels with even Tomlin's previous career-best strikeout performances.

The Indians fell to Seattle on Friday by a 3-2 margin. While Seattle was buoyed largely by its offense, the day was made unique by its pitchers, Seattle's Chris Young and Cleveland's Trevor Bauer, two pitchers who, despite being on entirely separate career trajectories, share very similar pitching philosophies. The IBI's John Grimm discusses the merits of their flyballing tendencies - and how overlooking directional pitching tendencies can result in an incomplete evaluation of accompanying defenses.

It's the last weekend of June as we head closer to the month of July. Can you believe it? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the Pirates and Angels trading relievers, the Reds signing a Cuban righty to a long contract, when we could see Francisco Lindor in Cleveland, and more.

It's finally Friday! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on Masterson's "nagging" knee injury, the Angels shopping for a closer, a potential starter for the White Sox next season, and more.

While Tim Lincecum threw his second no-hitter in less than year's time against the Padres, the Indians finally got themselves back in the win column thanks to the return of the dominant Corey Kluber that has led the Tribe staff over the first months of the season as he pitched seven shutout innings to earn his sixth win of the year. Join the IBI's Jake Dungan as he recaps the victory in the desert.

For the second time in his career, Tim Lincecum no-hit the San Diego Padres. Nick Hagadone was sent up to the majors from Columbus while Josh Outman was out righted to the Clippers. The Padres are receiving interest in Joaquin Benoit and Huston Street, while David Price is still rumored to be available for a trade.

The Cleveland Indians lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) in a 14-inning affair that saw the Indians tie the game in the 9th, take a two-run lead in the 11th and ultimately lose in the 14th. The IBI's Charlie Adams gives his thoughts on the game and looks at how hot Carlos Santana has been and how he is actually projecting out to his best season in the majors.

It's officially trade rumors season! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andy Nichols will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on trade rumors surrounding three key players, Grady Sizemore finds a new home, and more.

The Monday blues are out of the way and after an off day, the Indians are back in action tonight! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the injury bug plaguing the Cardinals pitching staff, an update on the Matt Kemp rumors, where Michael Brantley stands in the latest All Star balloting update, and more.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!